“Constant stress can raise blood pressure, it can also increase the risk for having a heart attack or have coronary artery disease,” Myerson said. “A lot of emotional feelings are what’s called transferred, so if you’re with someone who is angry or who is stressed then you may start to feel that way as well.”

Doctors say chronic stress can also lead to muscle tension, fatigue, insomnia and depression.

While experts say those in stressful situations may overcompensate in an effort to diffuse them, the key may be refocusing your attention.

“If you focus on something neutral like your breath, then you just gently kind of create a clearing in your mind — kind of a break from all of that stuff that’s going on,” Martin Boroson, the author of “One Moment Meditation,” said.